Over the past couple decades, research has uncovered
thousands of exoplanets in orbit around other stars. In
particular, the NASA Kepler Mission taught us that
Earth-sized planets are commonplace throughout the Galaxy.
But the big question remains - did life take root on any of
these distant worlds? Using upcoming large telescopes,
astronomers will examine the atmospheres of Earth-like
planets for the telltale chemical fingerprints of life. The
search for life in the universe has entered an exciting new
phase.